The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team travels to Starkville, Miss., for the Maroon Classic hosted by the Mississippi State Bulldogs Friday and Saturday. Stetson and Mississippi Valley State are also participating in the tournament.
The Mocs kick off the weekend against the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes Friday at 5:00 p.m. Then, UTC takes the court Saturday at Noon facing the Stetson Hatters and wraps up the weekend playing the host-team Mississippi State at 8:00 p.m.
"This is a really good opportunity to play a school in the marquee match of the tournament," head coach Travis Filar stated.
"The Saturday night match, that's usually the one that's the most highlighted in the preseason tournaments. It's a great opportunity to play in front of a good crowd."
UTC is coming off a 2-1 record in their season opening tournament last weekend. Many Mocs posted impressive individual results, including Kristy Wieser (Lincoln, Neb.) and Lauren Greenspoon (Houston, Texas) who were named to the Chattanooga Classic All-Tournament team. Wieser led the team in kills (38), attack percentage (.485), and in blocking with four solo blocks, seven block assists, 11 total blocks and only one blocking error. Greenspoon paced the team in assists, recording 133 over the three matches.
Catherine Chason (Alpharetta, Ga.) led defensive efforts by recording a team-high of 41 digs, while Briana Reid (Houston, Texas) followed closely with 40 digs.
"We gained momentum from this past weekend, but the only way we can carry that momentum is our approach and our mindset in preparation this week in practice," explained Filar.
Chattanooga hasn't played Mississippi State since 1999, when they lost to the Bulldogs 3-2.
The Bulldogs went 3-1 at their home tournament last weekend. They posted 3-0 wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Louisiana-Monroe and Jackson State before losing to Southern Utah 3-0. Alex Warren, a right-side attacker, and setter Blossom Sato were named to the Bulldog Invitational All-Tournament team. Warren recorded 24 kills and an attack percentage of .250, while Sato led the team with 117 assists. Middle blocker Bali Leffall-Young paced the team in blocks, recording 11.
"Stetson and Mississippi Valley are programs that are comparable to some of the teams we'll see in Southern Conference play," Filar said. "We want to prepare for what we think is the most important part of the season, conference play, by playing the right type of teams in preseason."
The Mocs go into playing Mississippi Valley State with a 2-0 all-time record. UTC beat the Devils 3-0 in the Chattanooga Classic last season.
Mississippi Valley State finished last weekend with a 0-4 record. The Devilettes posted 3-0 losses to Xavier (La.), Mobile and Faulkner and a 3-2 loss to Loyola (N.O.).
Stetson is another team UTC competed against last year, with the Mocs beating the Hatters 3-0 in the 2014 Scenic City Showdown. They are 1-3 on the season after posting a 3-2 win against Georgia Southern, 3-0 losses to Florida Atlantic and Bethune-Cookman and a tight 3-2 loss to Binghamton. Outside hitter McKenna Foster and middle blocker Madison Fitzsimmons were named to the FAU Invitational All-Tournament team. Foster tallied a team-high of five aces. Fitzsimmons posted the team-best attack percentage at .198 on 31 kills, in addition to 15 total blocks.
Live stats are available for each matchup, along with live video for the match between UTC and Mississippi State. Links can be found on GoMocs.com volleyball schedule page.
The Mocs return to Maclellan Gym for the Scenic City Showdown - Presented by Hampton Inn & Suites in Downtown Chattanooga Sept. 11-12. The four-team tournament features Austin Peay, Gardner-Webb and UAB.